


Gown

by Severina



Series: Alphabet Soup [7]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Community: 1_million_words, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-10
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-04-08 16:55:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4312935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Severina/pseuds/Severina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Belle keeps tripping over her lovely golden ballgown, Rumplestiltskin decides she needs a new dress.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gown

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LJ's 1_million_words community for prompt "G" at their A to Z Challenge.
> 
> * * *

Belle tripped on her way up the stairs. She stumbled again as she stretched with her feather duster to reach an exceptionally stubborn spider web, and a third time when trying to stand after dusting out the grate in the fireplace.

"Honestly, dearie," Rumplestiltskin twittered behind her, "you're like a newborn colt!"

Belle whirled toward him. "It's not my fault!" she protested, index finger jabbed in his direction. "You try cleaning an entire castle dressed in a gown like this!"

"Not a particularly pretty picture," Rumplestiltskin answered. His nose twitched. "Gold is not my colour."

She wanted to stay peeved at him, she truly did, but the image that he'd planted in her mind made it impossible. She giggled instead. "No," she agreed. "And I don't think you have the bosom for it." Her chin dropped as she gazed down at her own limited assets in that regard, and shook her head. "Though I suppose that argument could be used for either of us," she finished.

Not that she'd ever been very light on her feet, Belle mused as she set her cleaning rag aside. She had spent much of her childhood running from place to place and then being scolded by her nanny for not behaving like a lady, and she'd had more skinned knees that most of the stable boys. She watched Rumplestiltskin rise gracefully from his stool behind the spinning wheel, easily her better when it came to moving confidently and elegantly through a room. 

"I'll try to be more careful," she said when he stopped in front of her.

Rumplestiltskin cocked his head, standing motionless and regarding her with those watchful reptilian eyes. His countenance had long ago ceased to disturb her – in fact, she now found his eyes quite fascinating, and often found herself thinking of them before she slipped off to sleep at night – and she enjoyed watching his flamboyant mannerisms as he regaled her with stories of his travels. Now, however, she found herself squirming under his gaze. Rumplestiltskin was not usually so very, very _still_

"Rumple?" she said hesitantly.

"Yes yes," he said, as though her tentative use of his name had raised him from some strange and inexplicable trance. "This will not do. It will have to go."

"I... I don't know what you mean."

"The gown, dearie, the gown!"

Belle glanced down again at her lovely golden gown. Though it was smeared now with ashes from the fire, she knew that when she awoke in the morning it would be as fresh and clean as when the dressmaker presented it to her. Such had been the case each time she'd soiled it during the course of her duties at the Dark Castle. She raised her head and met Rumplestiltskin's gaze, shrugged her shoulders. "I have only the one gown," she said, though he knew it to be so. 

"Hmm," Rumplestiltskin said. "Then I shall have to fix that, won't I?"

She opened her mouth to ask if she might be permitted the services of a dressmaker, but before she could do more than start to formulate the sentence the purple smoke of his magic engulfed her. When she blinked free of it she was clad no more in the golden gown that she had worn as the ogres approached but in a pale lavender dress that left her calves bare.

Belle smoothed her hands down the fine fabric, fingered the intricate embroidery on the long sleeves. If not for its unconventional length, it would not look out of place at any King's Ball in the realms. "It's lovely," she said, "but hardly more practical than my other dress, don't you think?"

Rumplestiltskin made a noise in the back of his throat, then flicked his fingers. Belle thought to hold her breath, though she knew there was no need, and when she relaxed the lavender gown had been replaced with a more practical one of linen, this time in a shade of green so deep that it appeared to be almost black. And so constricting that she could hardly draw a breath.

"No," she managed to get out.

Rumplestiltskin shook his head, but thankfully did not ask her to elaborate before he again flung his magic toward her. The resulting dress was the colour of raw silk, with delicate flowers at the bodice and on the caps of her sleeves. He looked at her expectantly.

"It's beautiful, and quite comfortable," she said. She winced to add the rest, because he was clearly trying so hard to be helpful, but half-turned her body so that he could see her back while she glanced over her shoulder. "But I think I would need a maid to get me in and out of it every night."

"Hmmm," Rumplestiltskin said. She shivered when he took a step toward her, when his fingers traced a line down the row of intricate buttons and hooks at her spine. "Yes."

He was so close that she could feel his warm breath on the shell of her ear; could feel the heat of his body from shoulder blades to bottom and pondered, not quite unexpectedly, at how well they seemed to fit together. Her pulse raced as she faltered, her mind gone blank with the very proximity of him.

Then he moved away, and the breath she'd been holding came forth in a rush. She turned toward him just as he again pushed his magic outward; closed her eyes momentarily, and opened them to find herself in a dress of soft blue linen matched with a white cotton shift. The smooth brown cord that held her bodice in place was front-facing and loose enough for comfort, and she grinned as she twirled her hips to watch the fabric swirl around her calves.

"Well?" Rumplestiltskin asked impatiently.

"Oh, it's perfect!" she gushed. She could not stop herself from flinging her arms about his shoulders, and she did not let go even when he stiffened and fussed under her attentions. "Thank you!"

"Yes yes, no need for that," he said finally, firmly laying his hands on her shoulders to push her away. She took a step back, still grinning, and tried not to roll her eyes when his finger wagged in her face as it was wont to do. "I'll expect no more clumsiness from you now that you have a proper gown!"

"I'm not sure that a change of attire will cure me of a lifelong habit of klutziness," Belle said, "but I will do my best." 

"Hmm," Rumplestiltskin said. He waved her back to her work as he strode quickly toward the door, and she eagerly took up her rag once more. How much easier it would be to get into all the dusty nooks and crannies without her long gown getting in her way!

"Belle?"

She turned from her musing to find him hesitating in the doorway, one long-fingered hand wrapped around the jamb. "Yes, Rumplestiltskin?"

"Gold may not be my colour," he said, "but blue is most definitely yours."


End file.
